TV channel set for live Maine legislative coverage

Stage set for debut of live coverage of Maine Legislature by state public broadcaster

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Mainers will soon be able to keep a closer eye on their politicians.

Public broadcasting's Maine Capitol Connection channel is expected to go on air Monday and feature day-and-night, gavel-to-gavel House and Senate coverage, plus hearings, news conferences, interviews and events of the day under the Augusta dome.

A state version of C-SPAN, Capitol Connection will start off as a pilot and make changes as needed, Managing Editor Mal Leary said.

Capitol Connection will provide "a window into the work we are doing," said House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick.

House of Representatives coverage will be transmitted live, followed by recorded Senate proceedings that often take place at the same time as House activities. Some days, Leary said, the Senate will be covered live and House taped.

"Certainly the more light we shine on the work in Augusta, the more lawmakers can be held accountable to the people we serve," said Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland, said.

Once budget hearings conclude, coverage will move to hearings on with high-profile issues, perhaps gun control or school funding.

The channel is also intended to be educational.

The state chief justice will explain how the court system works in one piece, legislative leaders will give the inside view on State House workings, and explanations will be given of the often complex relationship between the federal and state governments, said Leary, a three-decade State House reporter and open government leader.

The idea of televised legislative coverage has come up now and again through the years, and it gained momentum last spring following discussions among MPBN, legislative leaders and Gov. Paul LePage, who supports the idea, said Maine Public Broadcasting Network President Mark Vogelzang.

Vogelzang said he's confident the project will be a success, and he has received positive feedback in the run-up to the channel's debut. Leary thinks the program will get an ample audience.

"There's a lot of people out there who won't watch all the time but will watch when there's something of interest to them," Leary told WCSH-TV.

Last week, legislative leaders approved the plan for the channel through June, when the legislative session is due to end, and while it could continue next year there's no commitment to do so.

Launching of the programming required significant technical preparation in the weeks leading up to its debut, including a control room in the press area of the state office building. But thanks to forethought by planners when the Capitol Complex was renovated more than a decade ago, much of the necessary wiring was already in place.

Maine joins roughly half of the states with similar coverage of legislative events. But in Maine, the signal will be carried via cable as well as over the air so everybody — including people out of cable range in remote areas of the state — can get it.

MPBN's $250,000-$300,000 annual cost for the programming is all borne by member contributions.

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